If the federal right to abortions is obliterated in the United States, it will be a “catastrophe” for women in low and middle-income countries, as it will embolden anti-choice groups to renew pressure against hard-won gains, doctors and activists have warned.
The leak of the Supreme Court’s draft majority opinion this month argued that the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, which effectively legalized abortion across the country, was “egregiously wrong from the start.” Americans were both stunned and enraged.
But the shock waves did not end at the American borders. Pro-choice figures across the world warned that the Supreme Court’s words would “send a really clear message” of inspiration to anti-choice groups. Many warnings came from people in countries with restrictive abortion laws and high levels of social stigma around reproductive rights.
For example, doctors in Uganda immediately warned that anti-choice groups in Uganda will be hoping and praying that Roe v Wade is overturned, because it will be the biggest achievement of anti-choice groups ever, and therefore will be used to counter the gains made in Uganda as well. In Uganda, abortion is legal in certain circumstances but highly restricted and marred by misinformation and stigma. An estimated 8 percent of the country’s maternal deaths are linked to unsafe abortions.
In sub-Saharan Africa, there are multiple countries with a strong link between high levels of maternal mortality and unsafe abortions. In these countries, the potential for the United States to encourage anti-choice politicians and judges to hold back abortion rights is extremely worrying.
Reproductive rights doctors and activists in Ethiopia warned that if Roe is reversed, it would be a victory for anti-choice groups who finance the opposition in Africa, and it would be a catastrophe for all.
Waves of fear are also crashing against Central America, where three countries have total bans against abortion: Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. In Guatemala, it is legal only if the mother’s life is at risk, and lawmakers recently increased prison sentences for women who had abortions.
Experts, doctors and activists say that abortion rights cannot be looked at in isolation, and that we need to understand the serious consequences this will have worldwide for women’s rights and reproductive rights.
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